Arizona men to be tried here on drug charges

By Bill Vidonic

Wednesday

Sep 30, 2009 at 12:01 AMSep 30, 2009 at 7:21 PM

BEAVER — Two Arizona men are awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania to face charges related to an alleged marijuana ring that state prosecutors say had been operating in western Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years.

While brothers Larry and Richard Catlin remain in custody in Arizona fighting extradition efforts, one of their alleged cohorts was ordered to stand trial Wednesday on related charges.

Richard Jula, 45, of 812 Bocktown Road, Crescent Township, was ordered to trial by Beaver County District Judge C. Douglas Loughner on charges of participating in a corrupt organization, drug possession and criminal conspiracy.

In an August press conference, state Attorney General Tom Corbett said 12 men, including the Catlins and Jula, moved more than 400 pounds of marijuana, worth more than $2 million, from Tucson to Allegheny and Beaver counties each month between 2007 and August.

An investigation into the alleged ring was called “Operation Infamous Choppers,” after a motorcycle shop in Ohio Township. Prosecutors said the shop owner, John Duzicky, 37, of Aleppo Township, had been transporting marijuana to Beaver County as far back as 1990.

Also Wednesday, three men charged in the ring waived their rights to preliminary hearings. They were:

l James Gleason, 37, of 426 Rockledge Drive, Sewickley.

l William Loftus Jr., 31, of 1115 Irwin St., Aliquippa.

l Jackie Carroll, 21, of 545 Ridge Road, Ambridge.

All three men waived charges of participating in a corrupt organization, drug possession and criminal conspiracy into court.

According to court documents, no plea agreements were involved in the men’s decision to waive their preliminary hearings.

Additional preliminary hearings are scheduled for other defendants on Oct. 14.

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